Sweater vest

February 8, 2010 by Ali

I’m making a sweater vest for myself. And now as I am about 1/4 of the way through it I am realizing that I really don’t think I have enough yarn to complete it. But I guess that just means I’ll have to stop in at Lamb’s Ear when I come to Tacoma and pick up some more of this stuff.

That’s the front panel.

It’s made from the leftovers from my sweater and Erika’s.

I also made some cute little hearts for Valentine’s Day, although I am not sure what I am going to do with them yet.

Any great ideas for me?

Terrariums

February 6, 2010 by Ali

I’ve been seeing terrariums all over the internet lately and I’ve really been wanting to make one of my own. So this evening I went to Michael’s and picked up a few things.

I think it looks rather nice next to my yarn bowl.

I had enough to make two terrariums, and I had a 40% off coupon at Michael’s, so I picked up this apothecary jar with a cool lid for only $7!
And I think this one looks nice next to the globe table.

Shalom Revealed

February 4, 2010 by Ali

Shalom has been completed. (Well, it hasn’t been blocked yet, but it just came off the needles about 10 minutes ago)

The backside:

I love it, and it fits pretty well. The sleeves are a little looser than I would like, but that is alright.

It hangs a little crooked on me… I need to learn how to knit for people with scoliosis, apparently, but all in all I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

It’s so comfy cozy. I can’t wait to cast on my next sweater!

Giveaway Winner

February 4, 2010 by Ali

And we have a winner:

Congrats to Charissa!

I will send it tomorrow in the mail!

Giveaway!

February 1, 2010 by Ali

I promise you are going to want this.


A seed stitch hat, made in a beret style.

It’s made in an off-white acrylic (sorry, it’s what I had on hand) yarn.

I feel like I must warn you, this isn’t a very warm hat, since it’s so loose, and the seed stitch isn’t the tightest, but it is cute, so it’s got that going for it.

So, you know the drill, leave a comment telling me how much you want this hat to be your very own and you get yourself an entry. Put it on your blog and you get yourself another entry.

**EDIT: Please made sure to add your blog entry as a separate comment, as I use a random number generator to figure the winner, thanks**

The winner will be drawn Thursday evening at 6:00 pm.

Good luck!

Chicken Cheddar Chowder

January 30, 2010 by Ali

The best thing I’ve eaten this month. No joke.

4 cups (28 oz) vegetable, chicken or beef broth
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken

1. Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. *

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and mix well. Gradually stir in milk and cook over
low heat until thickened. Stir in cheese and cook until melted.
Add cheese mixture to broth and vegetables along with the chicken. **
Cook and stir over low heat until thoroughly heated.

*I boiled my veggies longer, I added the carrots and celery first and let them boil for about 5 minutes, then added the potatoes and onions, even after the 15 minutes I didn’t think they were soft enough, so I let them boil an additional 15 minutes and they were just about right. I also didn’t add any of the salt or pepper it asked for, and just had it on hand at the table, but I found that it did not need either, however Paul added pepper to his.

**I would add about another 1/4 cup flour and maybe 1/4 cup more cheese, as my chowder was not as chowdery as it was soup, but it was still delish.

Trust me on this one, you want to make this. And you want to eat it every day until you die. I made it this evening and was very, very pleased. And it helped that I already had all the ingredients in my fridge. This, paired with some Artisan Bread, boy howdy, what a treat. I, unfortunately, did not have the foresight to think of baking some Artisan Bread to g with this chowder, but I know deep down in my heart that Chicken Cheddar Chowder and Artisan Bread would be the best of friends.

Lots of things handmade.

January 30, 2010 by Ali

Shalom update:
Done with bodice, 1/2 way through one sleeve. The sleeves are the hardest part to keep going on…you feel like you should be done already! But it’s still fun to work on.

Those crochet flower holders I was thinkin’ about making.. I tried a prototype. Turned out alright, but not quite how I wanted it.

I’ll definitly be making more, though. Hopefully for a wedding coming up this July (yipee!)

Also, been crafting a little for the besties. Although it’s a suprise and they’re not allowed to know what it is yet. But it’s knit and it’s got buttons, which automatically makes it awesome. Wanna see a sneak peak?

I love buttons.

And I decided since I had yarn all over the living room, I’d make it a bit tidier and I ended up really liking the look it made:

Sometimes I feel bad for Paul with all the knitting needles and crochet hooks I accidentally leave on the couch, just waiting for someone to sit on, and yarn trailed around the living room…

Ok. Off to do some other Saturday fun stuff.

Now that I’m a tea drinker…

January 29, 2010 by Ali

I’d love one of these, drinking tea and listening to The Beatles. Sounds like a good January evening activity.

Tea Sub

Dreaming of Spring…

January 27, 2010 by Ali

It’s official. I am ready for the Spring. Today was the first day I got off work and the sun was still shining. It lifted my spirits and made me so ready for more sunshine.

Thinking about making a few of these in the spring when get some flowers, or maybe I’ll make some now and hang some candles in them.

Anyone else anxious for spring?

Giveaway winner!

January 27, 2010 by Ali

Drumroll please….

The winner is AndraLea!

Congrats, AndraLea! Email me your mailing address (lexikaye @ gmail.com) and I’ll mail it out to you this week!